Hey everyone! I set up the fiber optic decoder box in the trunk because that's what worked most reliably for my car, but you should test it behind the radio first! Some people have had good results with everything connected behind the new head head unit.
if you place the decoder box behind radio do you need to do anything to existing equipment in trunk or just leave it alone and all connections other than the back up cam if used would be in trunk
@@ronwolfe9919 If it works behind the new radio, there is nothing do in the trunk since you can make all the connections at the radio harness. The backup camera can be routed with whichever method you prefer. On my other S-Class I have it mounted inside the rear windshield and ran the wire above the door seals.
This is the video I have been waiting for!!!!! Two years I’ve owned this car and was about to give up until I came across this. I’ll be doing the install soon, thank you.
@@frenchineeryeah I’m confused about that…everything you did was in the trunk, so if the fiber optic decoder box box will go behind the unit, I don’t need to do anything in the trunk?
Right, if the fiber optic box works with no issues when you make all the connections behind the head unit, you don't need to do anything in the trunk. That didn't work in my car so I relocated the decoder to the trunk to have a direct fiber connection from the box to the amp.
@@frenchineer what is the minute mark on the video where you would do this? Also, do you have a recommendation on RCA’s to purchase? And also a backup cam, which one would you go with? You still gonna put the video out?
I only showed the connection for the canbus behind the unit, but you can tap into power and ground for the box on the radio harness. If it works behind the head unit you don't need any RCA cables, that's only if you need to connect the box near the amp. For the backup camera the type will depend on how you want to mount it. I'll be making a video of for the backup camera, but I am not sure when.
Great video. There are different versions of W220 however. As I can see Frenchineer's car is the version without electrical rear seats, and has the Bose amplifier. My car does have electrical rear seats, and no Bose. So installation may be a little different for me. Seats have to removed differently (if required at all). And most likely the optic decode will have to be directly at the radio, because there is no Bose to connect in the rear. I will soon find out.
If you don’t have a Bose system, the install should be much easier, because there is no need for a fiber optic decoder. You would just need to match up the connectors on the new harness to those behind the radio. All your connections should be in the dash!
@@frenchineer Imho, there is a need for the box. In my car, the original optic fiber cable goes from the dash to a controller box under the rear seat (not trunk), then to the CD-player and from there to the Linguatronic. So I see the optic decoder in the dash, connecting to fiber going to that rear box. Any concerns?
The best way to determine if you need an amp is to look at the wiring harnesses that come off the radio. If there are wire pairs for each speaker that match up with the harness for the radio you are putting in, the amplifier is in the head unit. If not then you have an amplifier connected via fiber optic.
I recommend contacting support with a picture of your unit and maybe the harness connectors on the car, hopefully they can help you sort out what you need
Great tutorial Ive got a W220 I think same year, do you know if the CD changer can be made usable? or is it just tossed. Hate to lose it but I would like a more dependable sound system. Ive looked at others on line some do still have the AM function does this one?
I don't know of any method to keep the CD changer unfortunately. Its operation is directly tied to the original head unit. An alternate option is to copy your music from your CDs to a USB drive and connect that to the head unit. Both AM and FM work on this install!
The CD player does not communicate with the new unit unfortunately. Which function do you mean on the steering wheel? The unit reads the pick up and hang up buttons from the steering wheel, and I believe you can reconfigure what they do in the software.
This is huge!! The pre-facelift W220s used to be such a pain to put a radio in! Being able to keep the factory amp and the Bose speakers is a massive timesaver. How does it sound?
It sounds really good! The factory Bose amp works great in this setup and the EQ in the unit is very good. It sounds really clear at all volumes and it can get LOUD!
I responded to your other comment, but think the 2000 has the same radio setup as the 2001. You could remove your factory head unit and compare the connectors to this video.
Great video, do you get any noise like engine whine from the rca cables? Why didn't you just use the fiber adapter at the front to avoid running the rca cables?
This is an awesome and very detail video, after I saw it, I decided to upgrade my S500 but I encounter some issues I was hoping you can help, the link you shared the company is out of stock therefore I got the other brand of head-unit, the parts it came with are very similar. I didn't see how you did with the 90-degree fiber optic cables that you unplug from old head unit or just leave it? and the fiber optic decoder box has to be in the trunk or it also can be with the head unit? Looking forward to your help. Thank you!
Thanks! In my install, I left the fiber optic connector unplugged behind the new head unit because of how I ran the audio signal to the rear. You can try connecting the fiber optic decoder box behind the head unit to see if it works for you. If it works there, you don't need to go to the trunk at all, but if it doesn't, you can install the decoder in the trunk like I did.
beautiful installation. I have the same model. I have a problem with steering wheel controls. What type of CAN do you have set in the factory menu? Regards
so the only thing you plugged to decoder is the amp fiber? i have 2 other boxes on there that has fiber connections. i faintly heard sound from the front driver door speaker. also the fiber plug in the dash remains unplugged also? Please help im pulling out my hair here..lol
Did you connect the D2B wake wire from the decoder box? The decoder box also sends a signal to the Bose amplifier to tell it to wake up when the car powers on.
@@frenchineer my canbus cable isnt connected either, you showed plugging into another port on harness after taking it out of the connector. if that makes a difference. this radio doesnt have that plug.
You would need to find another place to connect the canbus decoder for all of the radio's features to work, but your sound issue seems like a wiring or fiber problem. Do you consistently get sound but only from the front driver door?
@@frenchineer yes i did, but it was sooo low you could barely hear it but it played consistanly. then i moved around the other fiber plugs and havent been able to duplicate that again. just to be sure does all the other fiber connections need to be plugged in ? or is the decoder and amp is all that needs to be connected?
i can say def it works behind the head unit , after the second attempt. reading thru comments from forums i believed the cd changer needed to be looped out. after no amp turn on i put cd back in optic loop and connected to blue and black wire from amp input connector (traced back up front) and got sound. now if i can just get can bus to work controls. In my selection of merceds benz it gives my old s class which says 2006 -2013...would that mean the can bus wont be active on a 2001?
Nice! I'm not sure what to suggest for the CAN bus, it worked out of the box for me. Did you check if the can bus wires for the decoder go to the correct pins on the car's harness?
Mine did not work behind the head unit, doing it directly to amp today question instead of taps in rear could i run the cables all the way to the head unit for power and acc I know ground i will do it on bolt
What happens if you install the fiber optic decoder behind the radio and leave the CD changer in? I realize the changer won’t work but will it pass audio?
Some people have success installing the decoder behind the radio and using a fiber optic loop to bypass the CD changer if necessary. It's worth a try to see if it works in your car!
Thanks! You would need to order the decoder in addition to the radio if you have a Bose sound system. The type of decoder depends on your car's year (D2B in pre-facelift and MOST in facelift models).
@@frenchineer thank you for reply, I have one more question if you don’t mind? I have the same benze and I already purchase an after market radio and wanted to know if I’m able to just purchase that radio car harness alone?
If you are talking about the fiber optic decoder box, you can order that from your preferred seller. The harness to connect the radio to the car might be possible to find separately but should be included with your head unit (if you bought a W220 specific unit).
If it's a W220, yes! The later years have a MOST fiber optic system, so you would need a different decoder box. I also did an install on a facelift W220, and you can see the differences in the wiring here: ruclips.net/video/QkXDvtC1XJk/видео.html
If you don't have the Bose system, the factory head unit connects directly to the speakers. The harness included with the radio has the connectors for non-Bose systems as well, and you will not need the fiber optic decoder box.
Because of how the fiber optic decoder boxes work, the signal from the front speakers is passed as all channels to the factory amplifier. You can adjust balance L/R in the DSP, but fade front/back does not work because only the front audio outputs from the new head unit are connected to the decoder. If you set the fade to front or center audio should come out of all the speakers.
This unit is only compatible with the W220 because of its design, so you would need to find a compatible one.. The connections for the install should be similar though.
That's true, but the way this one mounts is with the tabs on the provided bezel, so it's only for the W220. I think there are other radio styles that are compatible with both W215 and W220.
@@frenchineer Thanks again cause i was gonna buy it thinking i would simply take the unit out the bazel it came with and some how mount it to the original bazel
I understand! Some people have had success with the decoder box installed behind the head unit and using a fiber loop to bypass the CD changer if necessary. In my case going to the trunk gave me the best results with amplifier wakeup.
My d2b didn't work, you think it's because i didn't using fiber loop to bypass cd changer? @@frenchineer It's the cd changer the problem? (Sorry for my Bad english)
It's possible you would need to bypass the CD changer. You could bypass it by reconfiguring the fiber or using a bypass loop. In my car that didn't work so I needed to do what I showed in the video.
I have a question when I bought my s500 it didn’t have sound. But the original radio does work perfectly fine ,I did a diagnostic through the car and it popped up as the cd changer problem and I’ve been told that could be the reasoning for no audio. Will I get sound if I just buy the bypass loop for the cd changer without buying a new radio? Or do I have to get the new radio, decoder and the bypass loop for the sound to come back?
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Hey everyone! I set up the fiber optic decoder box in the trunk because that's what worked most reliably for my car, but you should test it behind the radio first! Some people have had good results with everything connected behind the new head head unit.
if you place the decoder box behind radio do you need to do anything to existing equipment in trunk or just leave it alone and all connections other than the back up cam if used would be in trunk
@@ronwolfe9919 If it works behind the new radio, there is nothing do in the trunk since you can make all the connections at the radio harness.
The backup camera can be routed with whichever method you prefer. On my other S-Class I have it mounted inside the rear windshield and ran the wire above the door seals.
@frenchineer ok thanks much
I also ordered these from Germany and went to the Netherlands. They arrived in 5 days. absolutely perfect
I find your voice very calming and soothing. This felt therapeutic. Looking forward to next weeks review!
This is the video I have been waiting for!!!!! Two years I’ve owned this car and was about to give up until I came across this. I’ll be doing the install soon, thank you.
Awesome! Don't forget to try the fiber optic decoder box behind the new unit first, it might work there in your car!
@@frenchineeryeah I’m confused about that…everything you did was in the trunk, so if the fiber optic decoder box box will go behind the unit, I don’t need to do anything in the trunk?
Right, if the fiber optic box works with no issues when you make all the connections behind the head unit, you don't need to do anything in the trunk. That didn't work in my car so I relocated the decoder to the trunk to have a direct fiber connection from the box to the amp.
@@frenchineer what is the minute mark on the video where you would do this? Also, do you have a recommendation on RCA’s to purchase? And also a backup cam, which one would you go with? You still gonna put the video out?
I only showed the connection for the canbus behind the unit, but you can tap into power and ground for the box on the radio harness. If it works behind the head unit you don't need any RCA cables, that's only if you need to connect the box near the amp.
For the backup camera the type will depend on how you want to mount it. I'll be making a video of for the backup camera, but I am not sure when.
Great video. There are different versions of W220 however. As I can see Frenchineer's car is the version without electrical rear seats, and has the Bose amplifier. My car does have electrical rear seats, and no Bose. So installation may be a little different for me. Seats have to removed differently (if required at all). And most likely the optic decode will have to be directly at the radio, because there is no Bose to connect in the rear. I will soon find out.
If you don’t have a Bose system, the install should be much easier, because there is no need for a fiber optic decoder. You would just need to match up the connectors on the new harness to those behind the radio. All your connections should be in the dash!
@@frenchineer Imho, there is a need for the box. In my car, the original optic fiber cable goes from the dash to a controller box under the rear seat (not trunk), then to the CD-player and from there to the Linguatronic. So I see the optic decoder in the dash, connecting to fiber going to that rear box. Any concerns?
The best way to determine if you need an amp is to look at the wiring harnesses that come off the radio. If there are wire pairs for each speaker that match up with the harness for the radio you are putting in, the amplifier is in the head unit. If not then you have an amplifier connected via fiber optic.
Thanks for sharing nick , keep them coming my friend 🙏.
Thank you for watching!
I have the wrong harness, which nut I have is a model for my S 430 -BJ2000
I recommend contacting support with a picture of your unit and maybe the harness connectors on the car, hopefully they can help you sort out what you need
@@frenchineer thanks for help,
great install, head unit looks good
Hey Nick, I found out that the sound is coming out of all speakers. It's just very very very low..
Great tutorial Ive got a W220 I think same year, do you know if the CD changer can be made usable? or is it just tossed. Hate to lose it but I would like a more dependable sound system. Ive looked at others on line some do still have the AM function does this one?
I don't know of any method to keep the CD changer unfortunately. Its operation is directly tied to the original head unit. An alternate option is to copy your music from your CDs to a USB drive and connect that to the head unit.
Both AM and FM work on this install!
Great video. I'm looking to update 2 questions. Does the CD player still work and does the phone function still work on the steering wheel?
The CD player does not communicate with the new unit unfortunately. Which function do you mean on the steering wheel? The unit reads the pick up and hang up buttons from the steering wheel, and I believe you can reconfigure what they do in the software.
hi. if I order that radio from you. he works in Spain
It should work fine, but for radio you would probably need a DAB+ tuner like this: xtrons.com/dab-tuner-usbdab02
Come to find out the rca was going to aux in instead of audio 😒. I got full sound now! Thanks !
I'm glad you figured it out, now you get to enjoy your new setup!
@@frenchineer yes sir! excellent video by the way! need to work on this canbus now. thanks again!
This is huge!! The pre-facelift W220s used to be such a pain to put a radio in! Being able to keep the factory amp and the Bose speakers is a massive timesaver. How does it sound?
It sounds really good! The factory Bose amp works great in this setup and the EQ in the unit is very good. It sounds really clear at all volumes and it can get LOUD!
Thanks for the awesome video!!
I was super excited about getting one of these for my 2000 S500 but now Xtrons is telling me it won’t work in a 2000 model S500 😢
I responded to your other comment, but think the 2000 has the same radio setup as the 2001. You could remove your factory head unit and compare the connectors to this video.
Great video, do you get any noise like engine whine from the rca cables? Why didn't you just use the fiber adapter at the front to avoid running the rca cables?
I don't get any engine noise from this setup, and I chose to go with this route for reliability with the fiber optic/amplifier wake process.
does the vehicle support its own amplifier and is the subwoofer active???
With the fiber optic decoder box, all the sound goes through the factory amplifier and all the speakers!
It looks very cool 😎
Thanks!
This is an awesome and very detail video, after I saw it, I decided to upgrade my S500 but I encounter some issues I was hoping you can help, the link you shared the company is out of stock therefore I got the other brand of head-unit, the parts it came with are very similar.
I didn't see how you did with the 90-degree fiber optic cables that you unplug from old head unit or just leave it? and the fiber optic decoder box has to be in the trunk or it also can be with the head unit?
Looking forward to your help.
Thank you!
Thanks!
In my install, I left the fiber optic connector unplugged behind the new head unit because of how I ran the audio signal to the rear. You can try connecting the fiber optic decoder box behind the head unit to see if it works for you. If it works there, you don't need to go to the trunk at all, but if it doesn't, you can install the decoder in the trunk like I did.
@@frenchineer Thanks for replied, I'm appreciate your advice.
beautiful installation. I have the same model. I have a problem with steering wheel controls. What type of CAN do you have set in the factory menu? Regards
Thanks! And thank you for letting me know in your other comment that switching the CAN settingto MB model B200 worked for you
so the only thing you plugged to decoder is the amp fiber? i have 2 other boxes on there that has fiber connections. i faintly heard sound from the front driver door speaker. also the fiber plug in the dash remains unplugged also? Please help im pulling out my hair here..lol
Did you connect the D2B wake wire from the decoder box? The decoder box also sends a signal to the Bose amplifier to tell it to wake up when the car powers on.
@@frenchineer yes, i did get beep signal from meter, do the other fiber connections need to closed loop? also thank you for reponse
@@frenchineer my canbus cable isnt connected either, you showed plugging into another port on harness after taking it out of the connector. if that makes a difference. this radio doesnt have that plug.
You would need to find another place to connect the canbus decoder for all of the radio's features to work, but your sound issue seems like a wiring or fiber problem. Do you consistently get sound but only from the front driver door?
@@frenchineer yes i did, but it was sooo low you could barely hear it but it played consistanly. then i moved around the other fiber plugs and havent been able to duplicate that again. just to be sure does all the other fiber connections need to be plugged in ? or is the decoder and amp is all that needs to be connected?
i can say def it works behind the head unit , after the second attempt. reading thru comments from forums i believed the cd changer needed to be looped out. after no amp turn on i put cd back in optic loop and connected to blue and black wire from amp input connector (traced back up front) and got sound. now if i can just get can bus to work controls. In my selection of merceds benz it gives my old s class which says 2006 -2013...would that mean the can bus wont be active on a 2001?
Nice! I'm not sure what to suggest for the CAN bus, it worked out of the box for me. Did you check if the can bus wires for the decoder go to the correct pins on the car's harness?
Mine did not work behind the head unit, doing it directly to amp today question instead of taps in rear could i run the cables all the way to the head unit for power and acc I know ground i will do it on bolt
I think that would work!
What happens if you install the fiber optic decoder behind the radio and leave the CD changer in? I realize the changer won’t work but will it pass audio?
Some people have success installing the decoder behind the radio and using a fiber optic loop to bypass the CD changer if necessary. It's worth a try to see if it works in your car!
@@frenchineer I installed behind the head unit today and it worked great. No loop, left everything in the trunk alone.
Awesome!
Hello, great video. Does the decoder box comes with the radio or it has to be ordered separately?
Thanks! You would need to order the decoder in addition to the radio if you have a Bose sound system. The type of decoder depends on your car's year (D2B in pre-facelift and MOST in facelift models).
@@frenchineer thank you for reply, I have one more question if you don’t mind? I have the same benze and I already purchase an after market radio and wanted to know if I’m able to just purchase that radio car harness alone?
If you are talking about the fiber optic decoder box, you can order that from your preferred seller. The harness to connect the radio to the car might be possible to find separately but should be included with your head unit (if you bought a W220 specific unit).
Does this require splicing wires?
Yes, to power the fiber optic decoder box.
And what’s the part number for this unit
Can you install an Android HU in my 2004 S500 with the MOST OEM HU with fiber optic? We are unable to get audio.
If you are unable to get sound, make sure the connections to the CANbus decoder box are correct. The wake signal for the amplifier is sent via CANbus.
Would It Fit a S430 2006 ??
If it's a W220, yes! The later years have a MOST fiber optic system, so you would need a different decoder box. I also did an install on a facelift W220, and you can see the differences in the wiring here: ruclips.net/video/QkXDvtC1XJk/видео.html
I have a Junsun android, but the radio is not working on my W220 with Bose sound system.
Pls do u hv any suggestions for me?
Are you using a fiber optic decoder box? I had to install it close to the amplifier.
does the cd changer integrate?
It does not, though there are models that have a built in CD player.
Hello my car have d2b but not bose and no amp what should i do ?
If you don't have the Bose system, the factory head unit connects directly to the speakers. The harness included with the radio has the connectors for non-Bose systems as well, and you will not need the fiber optic decoder box.
@@frenchineer okay but when i installed my android navi the music stops when i turn the volume much up and then continue what’s the problem?
I'm not sure what would cause that, does it happen with the buttons on the unit?
I’m only getting sound out out of the front speakers
That's strange, did your original radio work with all the speakers?
@@frenchineer on the DSP it won’t play past the center of the car towards the rear
Because of how the fiber optic decoder boxes work, the signal from the front speakers is passed as all channels to the factory amplifier. You can adjust balance L/R in the DSP, but fade front/back does not work because only the front audio outputs from the new head unit are connected to the decoder.
If you set the fade to front or center audio should come out of all the speakers.
@@frenchineerokay thank you so much
Will this fit w215? I would have to remove the unit from the housing hazel it came with but just a bit concern if it will fit
This unit is only compatible with the W220 because of its design, so you would need to find a compatible one.. The connections for the install should be similar though.
@@frenchineer ok thanks. The same head unit fit both cars I.E w220 and w215 from the factory so its kinda weird
That's true, but the way this one mounts is with the tabs on the provided bezel, so it's only for the W220. I think there are other radio styles that are compatible with both W215 and W220.
@@frenchineer Thanks again cause i was gonna buy it thinking i would simply take the unit out the bazel it came with and some how mount it to the original bazel
Links not working
Looks like it was changed or the version was updated, here's a new link: xtrons.com/merdedes-benz-android-12-octa-core-4gb-ram-64gb-rom-iap92m220s
I was on board until you got into the trunk
I understand! Some people have had success with the decoder box installed behind the head unit and using a fiber loop to bypass the CD changer if necessary.
In my case going to the trunk gave me the best results with amplifier wakeup.
My d2b didn't work, you think it's because i didn't using fiber loop to bypass cd changer? @@frenchineer
It's the cd changer the problem?
(Sorry for my Bad english)
It's possible you would need to bypass the CD changer. You could bypass it by reconfiguring the fiber or using a bypass loop. In my car that didn't work so I needed to do what I showed in the video.
@@frenchineer ok i will try loop monday
I have a question when I bought my s500 it didn’t have sound. But the original radio does work perfectly fine ,I did a diagnostic through the car and it popped up as the cd changer problem and I’ve been told that could be the reasoning for no audio. Will I get sound if I just buy the bypass loop for the cd changer without buying a new radio? Or do I have to get the new radio, decoder and the bypass loop for the sound to come back?